Absorbent articles, such as disposable diapers for infants or adults, are usually provided with a fastening system comprising a pair of fastening tabs attached to end portions of the article. As a rule, an absorbent article is applied to a user who is lying down. The fastening tabs are intended to engage receiving members located on the other end portion of the article. Such a fastening system is satisfactory when, e.g., diapers are applied to an infant, but problems may arise when an incontinence diaper is to be applied to an adult user, particularly in case the user wants to put the diaper on by himself/herself.
It has been found that absorbent articles provided with a belt, so-called belt diapers, are easier to put on a user who is standing up. Belted absorbent garments are disclosed, for example, in the international patent application No. PCT/SE99/01975 and in Swedish patent No. 514 370.
Furthermore, the international patent application No. WO 99/37263 discloses a method and an apparatus for manufacturing belted garments, such as belt diapers, which comprise a first belt half and a second belt half which both have a longitudinal extension. A carrier web on which the first and second belt halves are to be fixed has a first surface and a second surface.
The method according to WO 99/37263 comprises the step of placing the first belt half and the second belt half in a partially overlapping relationship so that a first end region of the first belt half and a first end region of the second belt half contact each other within a region of overlap, wherein a second end region of the first belt half and a second end region of the second belt half remain uncovered. The method further comprises the steps of releasably joining the first end regions of the first and second belt halves in order to create a temporary laminate, to bring the first surface of the carrier web and the temporary laminate in mutual contact so that the first surface of the carrier web contacts the laminate in the region of overlap of the first end regions of the belt halves, and to get at least a portion of the second end region of the first belt half and at least a portion of the second end region of the second belt half to contact the second surface of the carrier web.
Even if the previously known diapers and absorbent garments provided with belts have solved some of the above-mentioned problems with difficult application, there is still room for improvements.
Absorbent articles and garments according to the prior art, for instance, sometimes may be perceived as uncomfortable by a user, primarily because of the presence of protruding joints and material edges which are pressed directly against the skin when applying the belt of the article. Where comfort is concerned, it would therefore be a major advantage to be able to provide an absorbent article or garment having a belt where no such edges pressed inwards against the waist of the user will occur beneath the belt when the article has been put on.
Furthermore, the application of belts on absorbent articles during their production has usually been complicated with a large number of different process steps, intermediate laminates, etc. In some cases, this has resulted in runnability problems and a low production rate. For this reason, there is a need for a simple and production efficient method for furnishing an absorbent article or garment with a belt.